LibGuides: PSY679A: Week 2 Resources

Week 2 Required Resources

Textbook

Your course textbook can be accessed via the DART link in the Getting Started module.

Dana, D. (2018). The Polyvagal theory in therapy: Engaging the rhythm of regulation. W. W. Norton & Co.

Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7

Fisher, J. (2021). Transforming the living legacy of trauma: A workbook for survivors and therapists. PESI Publishing.

Chapters 3, 4,5

Articles

The emergence of a Polyvagal-informed therapy: How vocal music and voice contribute to healing following trauma
HMP Global. (2020). The emergence of a Polyvagal-informed therapy: How vocal music and voice contribute to healing following trauma [Video/DVD]. Milton H. Erickson Foundation.
“This presentation will focus on how Polyvagal Theory provides a plausible model to explain how and why intonation of voice and vocal music can support mental and physical health and enhance function during compromised states associated with illness, chronic stress, and trauma.” The workshop will elaborate on the principles incorporated in the Safe and Sound Protocol™ and the lessons learned through preliminary clinical trials, current research, and feedback from clinicians applying the protocol to various clinical disorders including individuals with severe trauma histories.

Polyvagal Theory and Peek-a-boo: How the Therapeutic Pas de Deux Heals Attachment Trauma
Wagner, D. (2015). Polyvagal theory and peek-a-boo: how the therapeutic pas de deux heals attachment trauma. Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy, 10(4), 256-265.
Porges (2011) suggests that our biology influences attachment styles, allowing attachment theory to be viewed through a polyvagal awareness lens. This understanding allows therapists to invite connection, detect disruptions, and facilitate reconnection, reducing defenses in life-threatening situations and transforming experiences like peek-a-boo into play.
How to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve for Better Mental Health
Fallis, J. (2017). How to stimulate your vagus nerve for better mental health. Retrieved September 28, 2023, from https://sass.uottawa.ca/sites/sass.uottawa.ca/files/how_to_stimulate_your_vagus_nerve_for_better_mental_health_1.pdf.
Stimulating the vagus nerve can played a key role in the management of mental health symptoms.
A Missing Ingredient In A Time Of Fear: Carers Are Not The Bucket
Forner, C. C. (2020). A missing ingredient in a time of fear: Carers are not the bucket. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 17(2), 80–84.
As every human population faces the same problem, it's crucial to examine how humans function under stress and how care, traditionally considered as a weakness of females, is actually an inborn response to external threats. Attachment theory, polyvagal theory, and mindfulness-based attachment research show that humans thrive on being cared for and deteriorate when care is not available.

Fostering Loving Relationships
Fostering loving relationships. (2011). In Zen Meditation in Psychotherapy (pp. 171–190). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118155684.
Chapter 10. Relationships can become embroiled in hidden agendas and miscommunications. False ideas interfere with direct perceiving of each other, person to person. Learning how to clear away the misconceptions and misunderstandings allows the natural capacities for love and compassion to emerge. This chapter offers a meditative approach that guides in overcoming the barriers to intimacy while also planting the seeds that will allow the natural tendency toward health.
Vagal pathways: Portals to Compassion. The Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science
Porges, S. (2017). Vagal pathways: Portals to compassion. The Oxford handbook of compassion science. Oxford University Press.

Videos

Bringing a Polyvagal Perspective into Therapy: How to Safely Navigate Emotional Storms
Films Media Group. (2018). Bringing a polyvagal perspective into therapy: How to safely navigate emotional storms [Video]. Films On Demand. Retrieved October 24, 2023, from https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=102577&xtid=183982.
The Polyvagal theory in therapy teaches how to use the autonomic nervous system to navigate emotional storms. This workshop, led by social worker Deb Dana, explores the system's role in social engagement and its impact on psychological state.